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ParentMap, November 2010 issue

Published on:November 01, 2010

Hit the road!

Whether by plane, ship or highway yacht, we've got your family-vacation dreamin' covered! Our special travel issue takes you on an RV adventure and a chill cruise to Alaska. We also show you the top 10 ways to avoid hassle when taking tots to Disneyland.

Our coverage of the rich diversity of families that live in our region continues this month with a look at Seattle's 'gayby boom.' And we take you to our region's brand-new museum!

Online only!Click here for this month's special "online only" content.

About this issue

Get outta town!

When I ponder two particularly popular modes of vacation travel I have yet to experience, the cruise ship and the RV, I want to jump ship before boarding either! Yet, one short paragraph into both “Cruise Control” and “Going Mobile” and I’m in! The image of the “gateway to freedom” gas-guzzling RV rolling into Vegas had me roaring. That’s got to be the way to tour Vegas! The great contrast to this open-road adventure — that requires both a planning and a packing Ph.D. — is the laid-back shipload of options in cruising. I love the frenzy-free concept of getting on board in Seattle and enjoying the “cozy corners to watch the world go by,” along with all the sports, pools, restaurants and excursions needed to fulfill a diverse multigenerational family’s travel dreams.

If you can’t leave town, reset your happiness level at a great event we have planned right here in Seattle on Nov. 5. Do you wish to be happier, or have a stronger marriage or perhaps a more satisfying life? ParentMap partners with University of California–Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center to present the Science of a Meaningful Life event. The featured speaker — renowned psychology professor Dr. Dacher Keltner — will share cutting-edge research in psychology and neuroscience to reveal the deep roots of human goodness. You’ll learn why we humans have strong propensities for caring and compassionate behavior, and why emphasizing those behaviors can actually make us happier people. Famed marriage expert Dr. John Gottman joins midday to reveal new research on trust and betrayal! Visit parentmap.com/lectures for details and tickets.

Our continued exploration of families of all shapes and sizes (October’s issue featured single parents; we’ll look at military families in December) headlines this month with “Seattle’s ‘Gayby Boom’”. The article authentically presents the different challenges faced by both parents and children in gay-parent families. And it reveals something else: In addition to the knockout local beauty that surrounds us, we are blessed to live on a part of the planet that is accepting of families of all kinds. As one parent tells us: “We live in a community where there are all kinds of parents. . . . For most people, it’s like, ‘big deal.’” That could not be said just anywhere.